Financial statement analysis Essay

Financial statement analysis is a process which examines past and current financial data for the purpose of evaluating performance and projecting future risks and potential of a company. Financial statement analysis is used by various people and companies for different reasons, e.g. investors, creditors, lending officers, managers, employees and many other parties who rely on financial data for making economic decisions about a company. The objective of this David Jones financial statement analysis is to identify the company’s performance issues, to provide suggestions and recommendations by employing the Ratio Analysis method and analysing Profitability, Efficiency, Short and Long term Solvency, and by using Market Based Ratios. The following report outlines the financial performance of David Jones Limited based on the FY2011 & FY2012 Annual Reports. The key measures used to assess company performance are Profitability, Efficiency, Short & Long-term Solvency and Market-Based Ratios. David Jones has performed well in a few areas which include having solid cash flows, low debt, a strong balance sheet and assets in prime locations; however there is definite room for improvement with regards to sales performance, and it needs to address the high cost of sales and sluggish inventory in order to turn around company profitability and performance. We have studied your 2011 and 2012 financial reports and statements and can see that your company’s sales performance has been declining year on year. Sales revenue for FY2012 was down -4.8% when compared to FY2011, and FY2011 sales were down -4.45% vs. FY2010. Your chairman and management have blamed this on the depressed consumer sentiment and increased global competition as a result of the strong Australian currency. â€Å"The uncertainty of Europe and USA and volatility in global equity market have contributed to a general feeling of uncertainty, the strong Australian dollar also contributed to price deflation and encouraged spending offshore.† (page 2, Annual Report) Profitability In FY2012, all measures of profitability were considerably down on last year. Gross Profit was down from $767m to $670m, and the Gross Profit margin (GP %) was down 160bp to 37.5% (-4.2% on FY2011: 39.1%). The poor GP % has been the result of discounting in a competitive environment and dealing with excess inventory on hand at the commencement of FY2012 (page 5, Annual Report). When compared to your main competitor Myer (Market Capitalization 1.59b1 Vs. DJS 1.477b2), there is a large variance between the Gross Profit Margins of the two companies (Myer GP % FY2012: 49.3%3, +160bp from previous year, DJs-FY2012: 37.47% -160bp). This can be attributed to Myer’s much lower Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) (Myer 56% Vs. DJs 62.5% in FY2012). Myer has a competitive advantage in the marketplace with a larger network of stores and greater buying power. Their larger volume of purchases may mean they are able to obtain lower cost prices with suppliers. However, there are a few key areas you have identified in your Future Strategic Direction plan which we feel will assist in lowering your COGS and result in a better GP % rate. Firstly, signing exclusive brands to your portfolio will ensure product differentiation to customers and better control over supplier trading terms and prices. Secondly, the Cost Price Harmonisation that you are engaging in with suppliers (page 3, Annual Report) is key to maintaining your GP % and ensuring that your COGS do not rise and prices do not become uncompetitive with international retailers. Thirdly, discontinuing lower margin categories and moving towards a greater product mix of higher margin categories (page 4, Annual Report) will increase your GP % in the long run and ensure you maximize the profit outcome from the inventory you carry. For example, introducing more private label house brands could be one strategy in which to increase the proportion of higher margin products in your portfolio. The Net Profit Margin in FY2012 dropped drastically compared to FY2011 (-36.9%, $101 vs. $168 million), with sales revenue dropping -4.8% ($1.867b vs. $1.962b). It was however, on par with Myer at 5.4%. The main factor contributing to the big fall in net profit were the high operating expenses over FY2012. Depreciation expenses were up by +13.23%, leasing expenses were up by +6.1%, advertising and marketing had gone up +19%, administration expenses were up by +29.4%, and finance costs were up +40%. Excess inventory during the clearance period also resulted in heavier discounting and contributed to the fall in net profit. Whilst your company has noted Cost of Doing Business (CODB) Reductions as one of the points in your Future Strategic Direction Plan, there are many other areas that can be addressed to ease operating costs. For example, a reduction in the size of all or some of your retail stores will result in savings in store costs such as leasing, staff, utilities, and so on. This could be implemented in conjunction with the Omni Channel Retailing strategy as highlighted as the first point in your Future Strategic Direction Plan (page 3, Annual Report), as customers move away from traditional bricks and mortar shops and increasingly to online shopping destinations. The excellent growth rate in HY2013 of your online store4 highlights the opportunities in the online channel and the change in customer shopping behaviour. With regards to the Asset Turnover ratio, your company performed slightly better than Myer Holdings in FY2012 (1.5 Vs 1.34, Refer to Appendix B). Internally, there was an 8% drop that was due to sluggish sales performance (1.5 Vs. 1.63, Refer to Appendix A). Since your Net Profit Margin dropped dramatically in FY2012, the Return on Assets (ROA) followed suit and decreased by -41% (from 13.96 to 8.23, refer to Appendix A); not a good result in asset management performance. Your company’s property portfolio consists of 4 buildings valued at $612 million (page 5, Annual Report). All of these buildings are in the prime locations, with two in the Sydney CBD and two in the Melbourne CBD. The rental income is assumed to be in the vicinity of $39 million per annum (page 5, Annual Report). If a reduced size store was considered, a potential income of $10-15 million could be generated per annum, increasing the net profit percentage by 9-14% (Net Profit FY2012 – $101,103,000). Your company’s re-development consideration is a long-term process and we believe it will be successful in generating positive ROA with the appropriate planning. Improving the Gross Profit margin while maintaining current overheads will result in a positive increase in the Net Profit margin position and enhance the overall performance of the company. Efficiency Efficiency is more meaningful when compared to peers in the same industry and can assist in identifying businesses that are better managed relative to others. By comparing your figures with Myer, your company performed better in Inventory Turnover (89 days vs 96 days, Appendix A & Appendix B), which means you have a better stockturn and are generating revenue from your inventory in a shorter period of time. However, 89 days is still a fairly high measure as it means you are sitting on stock for an average of 3 months before it is sold through. To improve your inventory turnover, you could consider dropping your bestselling items more frequently to stores, but with smaller quantities each time. This will ensure that the stores which are selling through the stock quickest remain in stock at all times, without a large amount of unsold stock building up in the slower performing stores and affecting your inventory turnover. It also means you will be generating sales and cash more quickly from your stock investment. Myer performed slightly better on â€Å"Average Days Sales Uncollected† (DJS: 3.5 days vs. Myer: 2.5 days, Appendix A & B). To improve this measure for example, you could encourage more online sales to generate faster turnover into cash than store card sales which are monthly billings. Internally, FY2012 performed slightly better than FY2011 in Average Days Sales Uncollected (FY2012: 3.5 vs. FY2011: 4 days) but worse in Inventory Turnover (FY2012: 89 vs. FY2011: 87 days). The differences were negligible. Short-Term Solvency David Jones has a good ability to meet its short-term financial obligations, with a Current Ratio of 1.05 in FY2012 (Appendix A) outperforming Myer at 0.88 (Appendix B). However, since the Quick Ratio is not high at 14.4% (Appendix A), short-term liquidity could be an issue. When compared with Myer at 11% (Appendix B), David Jones has performed better. The Current Ratio performed better in FY2011 than FY2012 by 14.6% (Appendix A). The main reason for this is the 15.1% increase in Current Liability ($306 million Vs. $266 million), with the $40 million difference due to an increase in Account Payables. There is no change in the Quick Ratio from FY2011 to FY2012 (14.4%), i.e. on the low side and short-term liquidity can be an issue, should not allow it to be deteriorate. The â€Å"Cash & Cash Equivalents† and â€Å"Receivables† figures totaled $36.935 million which represented around 14% of â€Å"Payables† in the 2012 Annual Report. In order to achieve a better short-term liquidity position, a more efficient ordering & inventory control system should be implemented. Less inventory on hand equates to more cash and liquidity. Excess inventory can jeopardize a company’s liquidity, in addition to causing stock problems and markdowns at the end of a season as was evidenced in FY2012. Long-Term Solvency You company performed much better than Myer Holdings in the area of Long-Term Solvency. Your company has demonstrated consistency in this area and long-term solvency should not be an immediate issue with your organization. The Debt to Equity ratio showed that there was an increase of 11% in FY2012 compared with FY2011 (Refer to Appendix A), i.e. the liability has gone up relative to shareholders’ equity. The main contribution to the increase is due to the +22.3% ($265m Vs. $216m) increase in the Payables account. It is important to ensure that this trend does not continue and that debt does not continue to rise when compared to equity levels. With strong non-current assets of $917 million & total assets in excess of $1.24 billion, the Debt to Total Assets ratio is healthy, with FY2011 at 35% and FY2012 at 37% (Refer to Appendix A) respectively. The extra 2% was due to the liability increase and it was the fallout of excess inventory as discussed in the short-term solvency section. Market-based Ratios To calculate the Price/Earnings (P/E) Ratio, we used the share price on 16/5/2013 ($2.80). This equates to a PE ratio of 14.43, with the Earnings yield ratio at 6.93% and the Dividend yield ratio at 6.25% (dividend was 17.5c). Myer Holdings’ dividend yield was around 7% (dividend of 19c with share price at $2.70). The market-based ratio is higher than your main competitor (Myer PE ratio is 11.8)5. However the Price/Earnings ratio indicates that today’s share price of the company is on the low side as it is below 15. The majority of analysts believe that the company is performing below par and do not recommend buying or holding David Jones shares at the moment. Eva Brocklehurst of FNArean.com is quoted as saying in March 2013, † David Jones (DJS) is transforming. For brokers it’s not a moment too soon, as department stores have been plagued by a soft consumer environment and a need to respond to new trends in shopping. In its first half results the company has flagged progress with its strategic plan, reducing costs and expanding margins. Earnings were ahead of expectations for the half but sales growth was not. What pleased was the increased margin. What concerns brokers? Most importantly, a lack of sales momentum. There’s no Buy rating on the FNArena database. Two brokers have downgraded ratings to Sell in the wake of the results. There are five Sell ratings. There was one upgrade to Hold, and there are three Hold ratings. The consensus target price is $2.73, suggesting 11.5% downside to the last traded share price. A dividend yield of 5.5% is reflected in consensus earnings forecasts for FY13.†6 Performance Issues As highlighted above, your declining sales performance is the biggest concern for shareholders and needs to be addressed immediately. Whilst earnings were ahead of expectations, this was managed by cost reductions and a move towards increased margins. An improvement in sales in conjunction with the efforts you’re undertaking to reduce expenses and the cost of doing business will result in an improvement in the bottom line and signal confidence in the company and a turnaround for investors. David Jones has been labelled as an up-market department store. Australia’s $12 billion fashion retail industry is forecast to grow by only 0.5% in FY2012 with only an average 1.2% annualised growth expected for the next 5 years, according to analysis group IBISWorld. Furthermore, IBISWorld says shoppers are now more likely to buy low to mid-range priced clothing which has contributed to the declining value of retail sales. In general, the outlook is not too positive for the industry.7 Greater differentiation is required between David Jones and Myer in order to attract and retain customers. Mark Ritson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Melbourne Business School commented, â€Å"David Jones and Myer are just two sides of same boring coin.† He says, â€Å"I still believe to this day that most people coming out of either David Jones or Myer on Bourke Street don’t know which one they just come out of.†7 Some of the issues have been addressed by your company’s Future Strategic Direction Plan, for example, a move towards Omni Channel Retailing, building a â€Å"Home of Brands† strategy which differentiates David Jones from Myer, and cost improvements including GP margin improvements, CODB reductions and Cost Price Harmonisation with suppliers (pages 3-6, Annual Report). Conclusion A thorough review of your company’s FY2011 and FY2012 Financial Report & Statements has indicated that David Jones has a strong balance sheet, solid cash flows, low debt, and assets in prime locations. David Jones has performed on par, or better than Myer in the areas of Net Profit Margin, Asset Turnover, Inventory Turnover, and Short & Long-term Solvency. However, the company’s declining sales performance is the biggest area of concern. Almost all measures of profitability were worse than Myer and have been falling when compared to David Jones’ own performance in prior years. We believe that further differentiation from Myer, cost reductions & margin improvements, harmonization of prices to become more competitive with international competitors, better inventory management & a reduction in excessive stock, reduced retail floor space, and the move towards Omni-Channel Retailing will enhance the value of your company and result in better performance for all stakeholders. We hope this report has provided insightful recommendations into improving the performance of your company. This report has been generated for your company’s own reference and not for any other purposes. Other companies or individuals should not use or rely on any material contained within this report without the consent of our office.

What Are Scientific Investigation and Non-scientific Investigation?

Scientific investigation and non-scientific investigation are fields of inquiry used by scholars, policy makers, health professionals and economists among others, to acquire knowledge that explains the various forms of phenomena that exist in the natural physical environment. Science is derived from a Latin word scientia which literally means knowledge. It is a discipline that deals with the systematic process of gathering knowledge about the structure and behavior of the natural and physical world, based on facts that are measurable and can be proven by manipulation of data obtained through experiments, and observation (Gaukroger, 2006). Investigation is the process of enquiring into unfamiliar or questionable activities, thoroughly and systematically with the aim getting a solution (Bauer, 1992). Scientific investigation therefore is a method used to acquire knowledge through careful observation of facts of a situation that is unfamiliar or questionable, which helps in the development of a hypothesis from which logical predictions can be proven by way of experimentation, and manipulation of empirical data (Ziman, 2000). Non-scientific investigation on the other hand is devoid of all attributes that are scientific in nature. The careful examination, with the aim of establishing reasons for the occurrence or existence of a particular phenomenon cannot be verified with reference to data gathered by means of experiments, observations, empirical evidence or any other forms regarded as scientific. Conclusions are majorly based on claims, estimations and generalized assumptions that cannot be measured or empirically determined (Proper, 1983). Steps of scientific investigation: The first step involves informal observations of phenomena or behavior in a way that is not systematic. In the process, unique behavior might get noticed within the environment under investigation. For example, it may be observed that people are generally happier in warm sunny days. As questions about events arise, generalizations are made toward the noticed behavior through a process known as inductive reasoning. (Holyoak and Morrison, 2005). This involves using a specific characteristic to make conclusions about the general situation. For example, people are happier on warm and sunny days. The second step involves the formation of a tentative answer known as a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a proposal expressing opinion based on incomplete evidence or a concept that has not yet been verified but that if true would explain a possible relationship between or among a set of phenomena (Burks, 1977). The hypotheses are normally tested using experimental studies to determine their relevance through a series of steps that are repetitive. This provides a consistent way of predicting further results related to specific situations or phenomena (Fraassen, 1980). This begins by listing variables that are associated with the observation. A variable is a condition that has different values for different items. For example, other variables associated with warm sunny days and happiness could be weather and health. There now arises two possible explanations for the observation made; that people are less likely to get colds and flu which limits depression and makes them happy, and people are happier in warm sunny days because the weather is bright and welcoming. At this point, one between the two observations is selected forming the hypothesis which is subjected to further investigation to determine whether it is true or false. Thirdly, is the use of the hypothesis to generate a prediction, which can be tested. This involves applying the hypothesis to a specific real-world situation that can be observed (Patten, 2004). At his level, logic is used to make a prediction through a process known as deductive reasoning where the prediction starts from a general statement to one that is specific (Patton, 2002). For example, if the hypothesis states that less depression is as a result of better lighting, a specific prediction is that, increasing lighting of a building on the ground floor should decrease depression among employees working on that floor. The fourth step is to evaluate the prediction by undertaking the actual research to provide a fair and unbiased result by observing if the hypothesis is correct (Bunge, 1998). Finally, observations are used to back, refute, or to refine the original. This is based on the extent to which observations agree with predictions. If they agree, new predictions can be set and tested. If not, then the hypothesis needs to be revised because it is wrong. The scientific process is a repetitive, circular, spiral process and not a linear process (Maleske, 2005). Other elements of scientific investigation All scientific investigations must be objective. They should not be influenced by personal feelings or opinions of the party carrying out the investigation but rather by facts that can be proven (Neuman, 2006). This reduces the eventuality of biased interpretations and conclusions of results from an investigation. Scientific investigations must be documented. Official records should be kept for use as evidence or proof that investigation on a particular phenomenon actually took place. This would lend credibility to the process in case any there is need for further investigation (Krippendorff, 2004). Another basic expectation is to archive all documented work resulting from scientific investigation. This involves storage of information that is not often needed into various forms of storage media like tapes, disks, paper, and slides for future reference. Data and methodology from scientific investigations must be shared to allow for careful scrutiny by other scientists. This allows other researchers the opportunity to carefully scrutinize results and also verify them by attempting to reproduce them through a practice called full disclosure (Holton, 1988). Finally, scientific investigations must allow for statistical measures of reliability of the data to be established. Non-scientific investigation Non-scientific investigation is a process of inquiry into particular phenomena existing in the natural physical environment in a manner that is not systematic. The major aspects of non-scientific investigation are qualitative in nature, in the sense that the process of inquiry is not based on facts and data that is measurable and can be empirically manipulated to arrive at conclusions but reasoned explanations, estimations, generalized assumptions and comparisons form the basis of non-scientific investigation (Salmon, 1990). Forms of non-scientific investigation Tenacity is used to acquire knowledge from habit or superstition. Repetitive and predictable events form the basis upon which knowledge is acquired. There is no actual observation and examination of variables through research. As Stanovich (2007) observes, the element of repetitiveness and predictability hold a critical place in the field of science. Intuition is another form of non-scientific investigation through which knowledge is acquired. The substance of the matter under investigation is determined by a hunch or feeling that could be emotionally motivated or not (Stanovich, 2007). Through keen observation or by reading other sources, feelings and emotions may be invoked triggering studies that end up on conclusions being made. The nature of conclusions depends on the emotional disposition of the investigator. Authority by experts is another form of non-scientific investigation (Thurs, 2007). This is simply derived from the idea that expert opinion is based on information acquired earlier through various forms. Due to the fact that individual experts are expected to offer leadership in their areas of specialization, they easily contribute information which is presumed to be knowledge. Rationalism is another form of non-scientific investigation where knowledge is acquired from reasoning and making of logical conclusions (Audi, 1999). Simply put, rationalism is based on appeal to logic. However, logic may not necessarily explain phenomena as certain information may be convincing though such may fail the knowledge test. Lastly is empiricism which relates to acquisition of knowledge from direct sensory observation (Keeton, 1962). This is heavily dependent on the five senses possessed by a human being including the sense of touch, smell, taste, sound and sight. Conclusion Scientific and non-scientific investigation offer useful skills of inquiry that can be used hand in hand. These two processes complement each other throughout the whole investigative process to bring about a more comprehensive and tangible investigation (McComas, 2002). The steps under scientific investigation are punctuated by elements of non-scientific investigation giving it substance and credibility that is necessary for the process to be complete. The following non-scientific forms of investigation roughly show the correlation that exists with the scientific forms, observation (method of empiricism), reading other researchers’ articles (method of authority) (MacMorris, 1989). For an investigation to be deemed complete and comprehensive, scientific investigation and non-scientific investigation must be used together.

A Story Of An Hour Feelings Essay

A Story Of An Hour: Feelingss Essay, Research Paper A Story of An Hour: Feelingss In the short narrative? A Story of An Hour? by Kate Chopin, the whole scope of emotions are felt by the chief charter Louise Mallard. Upon acquisition of her hubby # 8217 ; s decease she is instantly overcome by unhappiness. However, one time she is entirely she allows herself to see her feelings of joy at the chance of being free from? repression. # 8221 ; She is no more able to staff off the feeling that was nearing her than seeking to halt the moving ridges from hitting the shore. Basically stated we are powerless over our feelings. First, one can province that no affair how difficult we try we can non maintain a experiencing from coming over us. Louises # 8217 ; feelings come from deep within her psyche. Physical exhaustion followed her first storm of heartache. At first she did non cognize what was coming to her. She could non even give it a name. When she started to acknowledge it, she was seeking to crush it back with sheer will power. Merely to happen that will power is no lucifer for the entire encompassing of feelings. Once she had abandoned herself the word? free? had escaped from her lips. She did non intentionally want it but it had come anyhow. Unmistakably, a joy over took her. Not that she would non be sad once more, but for now she was like a bird allow out of the degree Celsius age. Mrs. Mallard was a good illustration of Shakespeare # 8217 ; s line? To Thine ain ego be true. # 8221 ; She did non let guilt to rise up it # 8217 ; s ugly head but alternatively merely felt her feelings. She allowed no 1 to witness her self averment. But, it was the strongest urge of her being. As she was projecting spring and summer yearss to come, a feeling that her life would be her ain once more gave her a contentment that she had non felt in a long clip. No 1 really knew what Mrs. Mallard had experienced behind her closed door. Although, the human bosom was meant to cover with that much hurting, joy and letdown in one twenty-four hours neer mind one hr. To her sister ( Josephine ) it would look that she died of joy when she saw her partner was non dead. The truth was buried with Louise. Tragically, what seemed to be great joy was a heartache felt for her freedom that had been so short lived. Concluding, the roller coaster of emotions was to extreme for Louises # 8217 ; delicate bosom to bear, go forthing her no pick but to decease with her secret. It # 8217 ; s a fact that people are governed by their emotions. Trying to command them has neer been something that the human race has been able to carry through. God gave us a free-will. Therefore, we are non powerless over our actions, nevertheless, feelings sneak in to our psyche without being asked.

Essay on International Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Essay on International Business - Case Study Example For example. Toyota produces Camry in Kentucky; While Dell produces and sells Pc's in China. Free Trade areas - agreements that reduce tariffs and barriers among trading partners further encourage international trade. NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Area) and the EU (European Union) are examples. Doing Business internationally today is big business. For example the total value of US imports rose from $799 million in 1994 to $135 billion in 2003; Exports rose from $72 billion to $88 billion in the same period. More globalization means more Competition and more competition means more pressure to be 'World Class'. That is to lower costs and to make employees more productive .As one expert puts it ' the bottom line is that the growing integration of the world economy into a single , huge market place is increasing the intensity of competition in a wide range of manufacturing and service industries'.(Dessler:2005) Dixon Ticonderoga is a victim of Globalisation. Dixon has owned one of the oldest public companies of pencil manufacturing in the U.S. His company has enjoyed a long period of success. That halted in the 1970's. That only because China had started dumping their pencils in the U.S market at cheaper rates. And it was only after some time that the duties were imposed on the imports which raised the prices. This helped Dixon's company to make profits ag... And it was only after some time that the duties were imposed on the imports which raised the prices. This helped Dixon's company to make profits again, but then the Chinese kept making better cheaper pencils and as a result after a few years, the imports returned to the high level they were at, before the imposition of duties. Dixon in the meantime was trying rigorously to meet this foreign competition on price. He tried and experimented on making cheaper pencils by using recycled paper. He had to dump the idea as they were getting stuck in the sharpener. He then also decided to use the Canadian Insencedar wood for his premium brand. Later, he started purchasing lower priced Indonesian wood. Dixon started to purchase erasers from a Korean supplier, in an effort to further reduce costs. But the company was still loosing money. And all his efforts were in vain. Theory Application: 'Globalization creates anxieties, largely because of what trade theory and international Economics say about its likely impacts on the geographical distribution of economic activities. Classical Ricardian trade theory, if applied directly to a world of decreasing trade barriers and transportation/transactions costs, suggests that comparative advantage effects will be freed up to play themselves out on a wider spatial scale, leading to rearrangement of activities on the landscape. The economies of places will generally become more specialized, clearer expressions of their globally-redefined comparative advantages '(Ricardo, 1963; Balassa, 1963). International Business Theories: International business also plays a vital role. Some of the International Business theories are: Theory of Comparative Advantage - Specialization: Specialization of products and

An improvement Approach to Quality Education In the United States of Research Proposal

An improvement Approach to Quality Education In the United States of America - Research Proposal Example This essay declares that the common aim of the entire US educational system must be established as the Deming philosophy applied to education suggests that each school in its educational setting is a component of the whole educational system in America and each school is obligated to accomplish the overall aim of the system, rather than focusing exclusively on maximizing its own performance. Otherwise, the effort among schools will be fragmented and the system will be sub-optimized; each and every school must exist to accomplish the common aim – to educate students to be equal American citizens, equal not only in political or social rights but also in educationally determined abilities to be both self-supporting and contributing American citizens. This paper makes a conclusion that the Japanese system did not develop without drawbacks or flaws that have had to be eliminated as the country became able to afford the solutions economically. Nevertheless, the emphasis on co-operation at all levels, a necessity within environments having extremely scarce resources, has contributed tremendously to raising the educational standard of the entire population in Japan. Perhaps for the first time in American experience, resources are becoming scarce and encouraging individuality and competition is incompatible with providing quality education at minimum cost; we must re-evaluate co-operation as a most efficient and cost effective approach to providing quality education equally to all students in American state schools.

Leading Health Indicator - Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Essay

Leading Health Indicator - Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity - Essay Example The leading health indicators are meant to help people understand the importance of disease prevention through health promotion and encourage broad participation in improving health over the next decade. The development of strategies and action plans in addressing these indicators will serve a significant role in increasing the quality of life and years of healthy life and in eliminating health disparities. Healthy people 2020 outlines specific objectives that are to be used in tracking the progress of each leading health indicator. The development of these indicators provides a snapshot of the state of health in the U.S and acts as a benchmark in future challenges and achievements. Health indicators are, therefore, fundamental building blocks in community health initiatives. This paper will analyze the leading health indicators of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity and provide an intervention strategy that is best suited for addressing this health issues. Glanz, Rimer and Lewis(2002) emphasize that physical activity, good nutrition, and healthy body weight are essential in the overall health and well-being of a person. A majority of people in The United States do not engage in sufficient physical activities. Healthy People 2020 points out that 81.6% of the adults and 81.8% of the adolescents in the U.S do not get the recommended amount of physical activity. Regular exercise is important in maintaining a healthy body, preventing premature deaths, body weight control and enhancing ones psychological well-being. The risk factors in the lack of physical activity include heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and so forth. Children and adolescents require weight bearing exercises for normal skeletal development and young adults need such exercise in maintaining bone mass. Older adults can also improve their strength and agility through regular exercises. The

Economic impact of health care reform Term Paper

Economic impact of health care reform - Term Paper Example ertaken major reforms in healthcare through the passing of bills such as the healthcare reform bill in the president Obama’s administration (Scarborough, 2010). However, such major steps can be argued as to have major positive and negative impacts on the economy at large especially due to the fact that this sector has been noted as to account for a the highest government expenditure as compared to other sectors. This essay is a critical evaluation of the economic impacts of the healthcare reform bill. The US has been classified as one of the developed countries in the world where health care contributes to a significant number of approximately 65% of all personal bankruptcy cases, which are reported (Scarborough, 2010). It is also known to spend much of its financial resources in providing healthcare for its citizens. However, reports show that the management of these resources has been slowed down in the past due to the lack of proper healthcare policies, which would ensure that every individual is covered by a medical insurance policy, in order to facilitate them with proper treatment in cases of sickness and accidents as well as lack of proper guidelines to control insurers from exploiting their clients. Due to this, insurance policy holders find themselves in situations whereby they are forced to dig deeper from their pockets so as to pay for the hospital bills after the insurers pay for small portions instead of clearing all the expenses incurred (Scarborough, 2010). This ha s resulted to people refraining from acquiring treatment due to lack of finances to take care of the expensive care provided to them. In fact, most of the people have accumulated a lot of debts and from research it is evident that the highest percentage in this group does not continue to seek further medical treatment out of fear that debts would increase. However, the coming of President Obama into power renewed hope and anticipation among the American communities due to his promise of

Inventory management at WAL-MART Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inventory management at WAL-MART - Case Study Example It also succeeded due to its global strategies. It became the first private-sector company in the world to have employed over one million personnel. It provides large spacious, wide, neat, brightly-lit aisles and shelves stocked with area for people to look around and provide a variety of goods. The average size of a Wal-Mart store is 107,000 square feet (www.walmart.com). Each store employs about 225 people. The employees are called associates as they hold value for the company (Frat Files). The stores feature a variety of quality, value-priced general merchandise, including (www.walmart.com): Wal-Mart operates each store, from the products it stocks, to the front-end equipment that helps speed checkout, with the same philosophy: provide everyday low prices and superior customer service. Lower prices also eliminate the expense of frequent sales promotions and sales are more predictable. Wal-Mart has invested heavily in its unique cross-docking inventory system. Cross docking has enabled Wal-Mart to achieve economies of scale which reduce its costs of sales. With this system, goods are continuously delivered to stores within 48 hours and often without having to stock them. This allows Wal-Mart to replenish the shelves 4 times faster than its competition. Wal-Mart's ability to replenish theirs shelves four times faster than its competition is just another advantage they have over competition. Wal-Mart leverages its buying power through purchasing in bulks and distributing the goods on its own. Wal-Mart guarantees everyday low prices and considers them the one stop shop. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT at WAL-MART Just-in-time inventory (JIT) is the concept of only carrying as much inventory as needed to supply to customers or consumers. Many companies are using JIT to reduce inventory costs and increase gross profits (Damiano, 2005). It makes more sense for companies to use their dollars elsewhere, rather than tying them up in inventory that is just sitting in a warehouse. Wal-Mart's inventory philosophy focuses on getting the good out of the shelves and into the customers hand in the quickest and most cost efficient way as possible and Wal-Mart is a paragon of such efficiency. JIT (Just in Time) is an inventory management technique invented by the Japanese. The first users of this technique are said to be the Toyota people and to this day, this technique is being effectively used by them. The concept behind JIT is that it optimizes the production process byreducing waste and keeping negligible inventory (Epps, 1995). Inventory has a holding cost in terms of keeping the excess inventory in warehouses whose rent has to be paid thus increasing the cost of the inventory. As a retailer, Wal-Mart has been able to achieve respectable leadership by using this technique to reduce the holding costs and decreasing wastages. The most important factor in having a Just-In-Time inventory system is to have the best logistics system in place. This includes having clear transport routes,

Finding a solution to the cancer rate in pottstown, Essay

Finding a solution to the cancer rate in pottstown, - Essay Example Often, the effects of draining waste or spilling industrial waste, into rivers affect the health of living things such as aquatic life and other non-aquatic living things that depend on the contaminated water. It is obvious that chemicals that find their way in the water can cause cancer in people who consume this water. In effect, this explains the growing number of people diagnosed with cancer over the world, which implies that the city of Pottstown is not an exception. In this case, the city’s cancer rate has been increasing at an abnormal rate, and it is incumbent about the authorities to ensure that there were efforts aimed at extenuating the rate of cancer in the city. Since cancer rates are abnormally high in the city of Pottstown, the city government of Pottstown needs stricter rules to protect the water supply from chemicals that cause cancer. According to Dr. Jeffrey Griffiths, â€Å"Health risks in drinking water are increasing, not declining, but we are not equipped to assess them from a public health surveillance standpoint† (as cited in League of Women Voters, 2005, p. 1). In this case, the measures that governments took to ensure public safety and health were not adequate since they lacked the capacity in carrying out efficient inspection regarding the quality of water human beings consumed. It is the responsibility of the city government to ensure that the quality of water residents consumed was free of waterborne diseases. However, Griffiths noted that the public health system appears overwhelmed with its resources stretched thin while the Center for Disease Control, which backs the efforts of the state government, face budget cuts (as cited in League of Women Voters, 2005, p. 1). In effect, the failure to have effective systems meant to ensure public safety implies that the public remains unaware of the pr esence of harmful chemicals or waterborne diseases present in the water

Boys Literacy Essay Example for Free

Boys Literacy Essay Boys are seen as in trouble, says Smith. But while the common assumption is that boys reject literacy because they see it as feminized, Smiths research points in another direction. The boys participating in his study, he maintains, rejected certain literate activities not because they were for girls but, rather, because they were schoolish. In our research, we looked outside of school to see what boys were reading and writing about, Smith says. What we found, essentially, was that boys read that they in fact value literacy but most of them dont read or write in ways that schools recognize. The authors worked closely with 49 middle- and high-school boys at four sites in three states, including New Jersey. The boys school environments ranged from an urban high school to a private, all-boys prep school. Participants kept journals detailing not only how they spent their time in the classroom, but also how they applied literacy skills to activities outside the classroom. In addition, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with the boys several times during the course of the study. Many study participants expressed a pronounced dislike for literacy-related classroom activities. But in their passionate descriptions of extracurricular interests such as sports or movies Smith and Wilhelm found the boys were engaged in an abundance of reading-based activities. This contrast between school reading and life reading led the researchers to conclude that boys are motivated to excel inliteracy-related areas when they feel competent in them, understand their purpose or see a connection to their social environment. If that passion could be tapped, the authors write, school would be revolutionized. Perhaps no boy illustrated this point to Smith as poignantly as a functionally illiterate teen-ager, who had difficulty in school but nevertheless subscribed to several automotive magazines. I knew he couldnt read and wondered why he wanted to subscribe to a magazine, Smith relates. He said he likes to look at the pictures and, if something seems important enough to be read, hell ask someone to read it to him. Another boy, an avid wrestling fan, eagerly absorbed facts and trivia about wrestling and took the trouble to document more than 600 wrestling moves in a notebook to share with his friends. To call that kid alienated from literacy would be wrong, says Smith. Its not only literate behavior, but schoolish behavior, although not in a context that school allows. The materials that many boys might actually enjoy mystery stories, novels of suspense, song lyrics, or Web sites and magazines about hobbies or sports are not valued in the traditional classroom, says Smith. In their place are texts selected by teachers that might not appeal or be accessible to every student. Lots of teachers like Lord of the Flies, for example, because it lets them teach about symbolism in a nuanced teacherly way, Smith notes. Theres nothing wrong with that approach to teaching, but we have to recognize that some boys many boys wont feel particularly competent about their abilities in that environment. We argue that, yes, boys need to be taught how to do that kind of literary reading, but that theyll be more motivated to do so if the reading is done purposefully for example, in the context of pursuing an answer to an authentic question. Smith and Wilhelms research also casts suspicion on the persistent myth that boys and men favor fast-paced action over character-driven stories. We asked boys to respond to four different stories, which differed in terms of the gender of the narrator and the relative emphasis on action versus character development, says Smith. The story that provoked the most response from the boys centered on the family conflicts experienced by a female narrator. Some boys rejected the story, but many more were engaged by the issues it raised about family relationships. Thats something we never would have guessed, Smith adds. We put that story in there to give the boys a chance to reject it, and they didnt. The study also calls into question another gender-based myth, which posits that adolescent and teen-age boys are less social than girls, a finding that the researchers believe should inform curriculum development in the future. Our study challenged conventional wisdom that boys at this age are alienated and unemotional, says Smith. All of the boys in our study had intense friendship circles. We found sustained relationships and strong social engagement. Smith hopes his and Wilhelms groundbreaking research on boys literacy will lead to some changes in the approach to literacy instruction in the classroom. He sees this as especially critical in the upper grades, where boys are given fewer choices in their assigned reading materials and writing assignments. In secondary school, theres a shift from teaching how to read to reading canonical texts, Smith points out. Choice goes out the window, and difficulty increases. Why in high school does it always have to be hard literature? Why does it alwayshave to be teacher-chosen? he questions. We need to work in choice in the classroom. The alternative, Smiths research suggests, will continue leaving boys stranded in the classroom, much like the young island castaways left to fend for themselves in Lord of the Flies. What is it about Harry Potter? Parents, teachers and other adults who hope to inspire young readers to develop a lifelong appreciation for reading and literacy may wonder what it is that accounts for the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, which have inspired even those youngsters who previously had no interest in literature. Associate Professor Michael W. Smith believes that his research on boys andliteracy provides some answers. In our study, we found that the boys like sustained relationships with authors and characters, says Smith. That may explain why some young readers find it so difficult to wait for the next Harry Potter book to come out. For them, its like not being able to see a good friend for a whole year or more. Smith explains that serialized books help young readers develop an appreciation for literature because these books create a familiar world that the reader returns to in book after book. Smith uses the term scaffolding to describe this concept. Once youve imagined a world, you dont have to re-imagine it, explains Smith. The boys in our study didnt like to read stories if they had difficulty imagining the worlds the books created. For similar reasons, sometimes young readers are more engaged in reading a book that has been made into a movie after viewing the film instead of before, Smith says. Another reason Harry Potter is so popular is because its storylines are exportable in conversation, which, to the minds of the young men in his study, adds practical and social value to reading the books, says Smith. Like reading box scores or sports tidbits in the newspaper, there are cool parts of Harry Potter that are easily reducible for conversation, Smith says. A more complicated piece of literature is harder to bring into everyday conversation.

Media Interpretation on Health Promotion Research

Media Interpretation on Health Promotion Research Dwayne Potenteau A Critique of Marilynn Marchione (February 12, 2014) The Associated Press. Study ties weather to stroke rates: risk may rise with high humidity, cold, temperature swings Summary The purpose of the new article was to report on findings from a study claiming that extreme variances in seasonal weather patterns correlate to higher stroke rates. The focus on the information presented was from a study done by Judith H Lichtman and others at the Yale school of Public Health in New Haven Connecticut. In the article, the journalist Marilynn Marchione from the Associated Press, reports that through data analysis of two national databases the researchers, using a non experimental design, have found correlation between large changes in daily temperature and the risk of suffering a stroke. Elements that Influence Believability The article effectively states the main objective of the article stating the correlation between extreme variances in weather, humidity, and risk of a stroke. The next sentence incorporates data from the research to reinforce the article’s main claim stating â€Å"As it got warmer, risk fell – 3 percent for every 5 degrees, the study found†(Marchione, 2014, p.1). To further the credibility of the article, the author names and quotes Judy Lichtman, who is one of the study’s lead researchers. Marchione also adds numerous quotes throughout her article. By quoting the responses of physicians, Maricione does not infer, but relays the opinions of medical professional. Another factor that adds to the plausibility is what physiologically happens to the body during extreme warm and cold variances. The author incorporates explanations from different physicians on the effect weather has on the body. She adds the comments from several physicians, such as Dr Larry Gold stein who was part of the study, along with other physicians not associated with the research. Having multiple viewpoints from medical personnel who explain causation of stroke due to weather conditions strengthens her article and gives the reader further confidence in what she is saying. In addition to the explanations are some specific limitations of the study. Marchione notes limitations such as the omission participants due to a stroke caused by bleeding or aneurysm, and threshold values for temperatures.(Marchione, 2014, p.1). In commenting on the key omissions of the study, Marchione helps define the relationships of the study to the participants. Limitations in Generalizability and Hypothesis Loiselle, Profetto-McGrath, Polit, and Beck(2011, p.37) define generalizability as â€Å"the criterion used in a quantitative study to assess the extent to which study findings can be applied to other groups and settings†. The author’s first line in the article emphasizes a generality that is not found in any of the research findings. â€Å"There may be a link between weather and the risk of suffering a stroke, say researchers who analyzed climate trends and hospital records on millions of Americans† (Marchione, 2014, p.1). The opening sentence is an example of what philosophers define as a hasty generalization. The lack of relevant and specific information has the author rushing to a conclusion prior to obtaining and evaluating all the gathered data (Weber, Brizee, 2013). Contrary to the title, the objective of the research was to determine if there was an association between temperature, and Ischemic stroke hospitalization rates and in hospital mortality in a r epresentative sample. In addition, the hypothesis of the study was not clearly stated in the article. Loiselle defines the hypothesis as the predicted answer to expectations about relationships between study variables (Loiselle et al, p. 46). Coughlan, Cronin, and Ryan furthers the idea by stating that objectives, questions, and any hypothesis should be clearly stated in order to connect the purpose and any processes (Coughlan, Cronin, Ryan, 2007, p.660). By incorporating the hypothesis into the article, the author would have informed readers of what the researches methods were and help understand the results of their study. Limitations in Sample Size and Sample Plan Loiselle defines sample as a subset of the population under study (Loiselle et al, p. 47). The sample size is not mentioned in the article. Instead of millions, the sample size used was 157 130(Marchione, 2014, p.1). While a larger sample size better represents a target population, the misrepresentation of the sample size may give the reader a false account of the participants in the study. In addition to giving a false sample size, the article also does not mention that models were adjusted to match patient demographics. Age, sex, and race, along with seasonal changes, and comorbidity conditions were modified to fit with the target population. As a reader, the omission on selective criteria for the study participants can create uncertainty in understanding what population is susceptible. Another factor that was omitted from the article were specifics of the sampling plans. Loiselle defines sample plans as the specifics on how the sample will be selected and how many participants there will be† (Loiselle et all, p. 47). Nowhere in the article is there information that defines the mean average age of the target population mentioned was selected. In fact, the mean age was 71.6 years, and the article alludes to no age specific target. By omitting variables key to the research, the author inadvertently may lead to assumptions made by the reader on the age of population. Additional information was missing on how the sample plan specifically selected participants. The author claims that the research obtained from a national database, is the most detailed research on the issue but does not elaborate on any specifics. The researchers qualitative data was extracted from Nationwide Inpatient Sample database with a stratified sample of 20% . The article also provides no me ntion of data and the relationship to the results in the article. The researcher’s primary outcome was for discharged patients with ischemic stroke (ICN-9-CM 433, 434, 436), and death during the index hospitalization(Lichtman Wang, Leifheit-Limson Goldstein, p. 1). This missing information can misplace the context of the stud for the reader. Limitations in Validity/Reliability Loiselle defines validity as the ability to accurately assess the observations, and reliability refers to the ability to measure with different participants with consistency (Loiselle et all, p. 34). While information on the number of stroke patients, and quotes from the accredited individuals does add some credibility, the author fails to add any data on how or what processes were used. There is no mention of the desired outcome which was to determine if there were associations between temperature and ischemic stroke hospitalization rates and in hospital mortality within a U.S. population (Lichtman et al, p. 1). In addition, the reliability of data collection and was missing from the article. The information was collected from cohort and data sources (Litchman, et al, p. 1). The author provides only 2 sentences of statistical data to inform the reader. The lack of primary information which is favored over secondary or anecdotal data was another missing factor. Secondary data may lead to opinion, and have less credibility. While most information was presented in an interview type process, the overall empirical meaningful data was omitted. Limitations in Non Experimental Study Loiselle defines non experimental study as the way which researchers collect data without making changes or introducing treatments†(Loiselle et al, p. 44). Loiselle further contends that experimental studies are explicitly designed to test causal relationships (Loiselle et al, p. 44). The author did not mention the non experimental approach used by Judith Lichtman and her colleagues. Cohort studies were implemented using a retrospective study to select a specific population. Stamler and Yu confirm this by stating that cohort studies look at individual histories of people with a specific disease to identify commonalities and differences (Stamler Yu, p.150). The study is retrospective because the data was collected between 2010 – 2011. Stamler and Yu state that â€Å"These studies focus on individual s exposed to a particular health problem or potential stressor over time†(Stamler, Yu, 2012, p.150). While the article does comment on the data set extracted from 2010 to 2011, the author omitted the reasons for choosing the test population and did not add any clarity or expansion of the operational definitions. In omitting the basic defining characteristics of the quantitative study, the author did not inform the reader on give insight into the causal relationships between stroke, and varying climate. Since the Most of the information given in the article comes in the form of quotes from researchers. In the article, the author claims that â€Å"It is the largest and most detailed research on this issue†, but does not list the specifics of the target population(Marchione, p.1). The author over generalized the study, when in fact a specific population and target group had been selected. She is quoted as saying â€Å"The new study looked at stroke hospitalization, not just deaths, in a wider population using a federal database†(Marchione, 2014, p.1). The results in fact could not be generalized outside of the 157 130 patients that were age 71.6 or older, half being women, and 66.6% were of Caucasian ethnicity. Freiberger confirms the need for accuracy by stating that clarity not only on how the research was conducted, but who and how participants involved in the study must be present(Freiberger, p.1). Defining characteristics were also omitted in the article. Common cha racteristics of the test population included hypertension, diabetes, prior stroke, and cardiovascular disease. This lack of information in the article lends itself to reduced representativeness of the population and may lead a reader to not know the actual studied population. Discussion/Conclusion While the article does add information, the information presented, does not provide enough detailed elements of the study to clearly identify objectives, and any predictive hypothesis. First of all the objectives and hypothesis are never accurately stated in the article. Secondly the author does not include detailed sample plans or specify the correct sample size. Third, the validity and reliability specifics on where and how the data was obtained. Finally the author failed to expand on the non experimental study specifics. If these elements had been address to any breadth or depth within the article, the audience would have been better informed. General Public Paragraph Overall the study failed to give an accurate description of what the study’s research was trying to achieve. The author has over generalized to the point where most of the information in the article can be taken out of context. The amount of people in the study, the age group of people in the study, the ways in which the study was performed, and along with the overall results were omitted from the article. Therefore the reader is left up to their own phenomenology to decipher and interpret what the author was trying to get across. A person reading this article may be lead to conclusions that variances in temperature may lead an average person to develop a stroke. This type of incorrect representation of the study can be misleading as the author does not give false information but omits so much that errors in interpretation are inevitable. References Coughlan, M, Cronin, P, Ryan, F.(2007). Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 1: quantitative research. British Journal of Nursing 16(11):658-663 Devane, D, Begley, C, Clarke, M. (2004). How many do I need? Basic principles of sample size estimation. Journal of Advanced Nursing 47(3), 297 – 302 Freiberger, M. (2010). Medical research plagued by bad reporting. .Plus magazine, Retrieved from http://plus.maths.org/content/os/latestnews/jan-apr10/reporting/index Litchman, J, Wang, Y, Leifheit-Limson, E, Goldstein, L. (2014). Association of average temperature and dew point with stroke hospitalization and mortality. Manuscript submitted for publication. Loiselle, C, Profetto-McGrath, J, Polit, D, Beck, C.(2011) Canadian essentials of nursing research (3rd Canadian ed.).Philadelphia,PA:Lippincott,Williams Wilkins. Marchione, M. (2014, February 12). Study ties weather to stroke rates; risk may rise with high humidity, cold, temperature swings. The associated press, Retrieved from http://ca.news.yahoo.com/study-ties-weather-stroke-rates-risk-may-rise-155625598.html Stamler, L, Yu, L. (2012). Community health nursing; A canadian perspective (3rd ed). Toronto. On: Pearson Weber, R. Brizee, A. (2013).Logical fallacies. The Owl at Purdue University. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/

Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex Essay -- essays research papers

Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, there are several instances of dramatic irony. Not only does this irony give the plot a rounder shape, but it helps the audience understand, or follow along, the plot better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dramatic irony is sometimes used to intensify a scene or act. By doing this, the plot of the story, or play, is made more interesting. One example is Oedipus taunting Teiresias for his blindness, both physical and stellar. He says, â€Å"You sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man!†, â€Å"You child of endless night! You can not hurt me or any other man who sees the sun.† Oedipus constantly made remarks to Teiresias blindness and his sight, though unknowingly, Oedipus himself was the â€Å"child of endless night†, the â€Å"sightless, witless, ... Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex Essay -- essays research papers Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, there are several instances of dramatic irony. Not only does this irony give the plot a rounder shape, but it helps the audience understand, or follow along, the plot better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dramatic irony is sometimes used to intensify a scene or act. By doing this, the plot of the story, or play, is made more interesting. One example is Oedipus taunting Teiresias for his blindness, both physical and stellar. He says, â€Å"You sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man!†, â€Å"You child of endless night! You can not hurt me or any other man who sees the sun.† Oedipus constantly made remarks to Teiresias blindness and his sight, though unknowingly, Oedipus himself was the â€Å"child of endless night†, the â€Å"sightless, witless, ...

A Comparison of Homeric Formalism in The Iliad and The Odyssey Essay

Homeric Formalism in The Iliad and The Odyssey "Much that is terrible takes place in the Homeric poems, but it seldom takes place wordlessly... no speech is so filled with anger or scorn that the particles which express logical and grammatical connections are lacking or out of place." (from "Odysseus' Scar" by Erich Auerbach)    In his immaculately detailed study comparing the narrative styles of Homer to those of the Bible, Erich Auerbach hits upon one of the most notable intrigues of reading Homer, namely his unrelenting sense of epic form and rhythm. The stories that unfold in the works of Homer are filled with passion and fury, but this never effects the meticulous regulation of his narrative. One of the chief questions regarding the works of Homer is to what effectual end he follows this formula so explicitly. In both The Iliad and The Odyssey, the reader recognizes patterns and formulae that combine to make up the Homeric template.    The reader can first recognize Homer's formulaic style on a specific scale in the repetition of phrases and epithets. Odysseus, throughout both The Iliad and The Odyssey is almost never mentioned without a reference to his cunning or "many designs". Likewise, throughout The Iliad the city of Troy is almost never mentioned without reference to it being "strong-walled" or "wide-wayed". As Richard Lattimore writes in the introduction to his translation, much of this particular kind of repetition was dictated by the metric needs of the poem. Above and beyond this strictly mechanical function however, recurring descriptions serve to ground the story in a cast of recognizable characters, thus creating a sense of familiarity for the reader.    Studying ... ...tions of the Odyssey,   Frankfurt, Athenaeum 1988 Hamilton, Edith. The Greek Way. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1930. Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homer's Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Nussbaum, Martha C. "Victims and Agents: What Greek Tragedy can teach us about sympathy and responsibility." Boston Review. (1999)31 May 1999 Stanford, William Bedell. Homer's Odyssey. 2 Vols. Macmillan  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. The Iliad of Homer. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951. Tracy, Stephen V. ,The Story of the Odyssey Princeton UP 1990 "Gospel of Matthew". The Holy Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989.

Gerda Klein Essay -- Gerda Weissman Klein, Jewish Holocaust

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the Holocaust, Jewish people were submitted to the vilest and most inhumane conditions the world had ever seen. Their most basic freedoms were taken from them. At first, all they lost were items such as flour, eggs, sugar, and cocoa. Later, they were stripped of their land and businesses and separated according to their ability to be productive slaves to Hitler's Third Reich. Those that were deemed unfit were sent to slaughter houses. Entire families were torn apart, much like what happened to Gerda Weissman Klein's family. Despite watching her mother, father, and brother being taken from her, knowing that she would never see them again, she found the strength to survive three years in German labor camps through her family, friends, and her own strong will for survival. After Poland fell to German forces, all Jewish men of a certain age range were required to register. Klein brother Arthur was the first family member she lost when he was called to duty. e strong, they will need you. (p. 21) Those were Arthur last words to his little sister, and Klein took them very seriously. Even after she found herself separated from her family and imprisoned by the Nazis, Klein drew strength from Arthur plea. Klein parents were a major source of strength for her. They were who she looked to for guidance and support, especially after Germany invaded Poland. After the Nazis were in power and before she went away to labor camps, everything Klein did revolved around her ...

Memories of my childhood days Essay

Memories of my Childhood Days My first recollection of my childhood is the day I down the stairs when I was three years old. I was so happy that time I cried and cried for nearly an hour in spite of my parents’ attempts at comforting me. Finally, I quietened down when I was given ice- cream and chocolates. Luckily, I was not hurt because the stairs is not to steep. My days were happy ones before I started going to school, as I had good neighbours to play with me.I was playing from morning till evening. We played games outdoors like Batu Seremban,Police entry and Lumba Lari. There were also other games to occupy our time until my mother bring a rattan to call me back.. At the age of five years, I had to attend kindergarten and this turned out to be quite an ordeal for me. To begin with, I felt very sad having to leave my mother and go off each morning to be amongst strangers. I cried and wanted my mother around, much to my teacher’s displeasure. As the days went by, however, I made friends easily in class and found company. I became happy again and actually looked forward to leaving the house each morning. I still remember those days when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell and bruised myself several times but I never gave up. Finally, I was able to join my friends going around the neighbourhood on my bike. Another fond memory is the end-of-year concert held at the kindergarten. I was chosen to play the role of Princess in the play, ‘Princess and Gunung Ledang’, and I became a celebrity overnight receiving lots of compliments for my performance. I now realise what a wonderful childhood I have had and at times wish I could relive those days.

Emma/Clueless Essay

Emma Essay How has the changing contexts influenced the representations of main issues from Emma to Clueless? Amy Heckerling’s Clueless is a cinematic reconstruction of Jane Austen’s 19th century classic Emma and perfectly encapsulates the idea that the issues of a time, change and adapt with the changing of context. The contemporary text Clueless takes the rustic values placed on courtship, dating and ultimately marriage as well as the social/class distinctions in Regency England and successfully transforms them to better suite the new context of a contemporary audience and less rigid society.In the 19th century, marriage was the sole occupation of women and was the only way for women to rise in social status and to ‘support themselves’. Marriage was a fundamental aspect of Austen’s world and the importance of marriage is highlighted as Emma states that she is â€Å"not going to be married† and Harriet exclaims in a shocked tone â€Å"it is so odd to hear a woman talk so! †. For Harriet, and most women in the 19th century, marriage was an economic necessity to provide a stable financial future.This is reiterated by Emma’s use of short phrases in â€Å"a single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable old maid† which expresses her disdain for those women who do not possess fortunes to match hers and reinforces the value of wealth in relation to marriage. Marriage was therefor, not for love but for wealth, as is demonstrated in Mr. Elton’s arrogant proclamation that he â€Å"need not so totally despair of an equal alliance as to be addressing myself to Ms. Smith! † The use of the word ‘alliance’ emphasizes the fact that matrimony was for financial benefits.Marriage in Austen’s time was valued unconditionally and was seen as a means to achieve financial and social stability. While Emma focuses on the importance of marriage in the rigid Regen cy period, in the contemporary American setting of Clueless, although marriage is still featured, the focus has shifted to more contemporary themes relating to the sexuality and fluidity of relationships. Cher’s dialogue when explaining her indecisiveness over who to lose her virginity to: â€Å"You know how picky I a with my shoes, and they only go on my feet! shows how sexual relationships have replaced marriage in the new context, as Cher’s dilemma becomes a question of whom to lose her virginity to and not whom to marry. The role of women in courtship has also changed dramatically as is demonstrated by the zoom in on Cher’s feet rubbing Christians, indicating her desire to have sex with him. This active role in the relationship contrasts starkly with the subservient role women played in the 19th century. Marriage still plays a role in the 21st century and this is shown the last scene; the marriage of Mr.Hall and Ms. Geist. Heckerling does however, employ sa tire through Cher’s voice-over of â€Å"As if! I’m only 16! This is California, not Kentucky. † when audiences presume that she is marrying to gently mock the 19th century necessity to marry early, once again highlighting the shift away from the importance of marriage. In the 21tst century, marriage has been pushed to the side and values in relationships focus more on sexuality. The social hierarchy of Regency England was rigid and dependent on wealth, property and heritage of the individuals and families.The extreme importance of class is demonstrated through the exaggerated caricature of Mrs. Elton, a woman who is quite obnoxious, but still thought to be a better â€Å"catch† than the kind-hearted Harriet, simply because of her â€Å"genteel heritage† and â€Å"wealth†. The rigidity of social standings is further accentuated by Emma’s pretentious and condescending tone in â€Å"the yeomanry are precisely the people with which I fee l I can have nothing to do with† where her disdain for Robert Martin, a farmer in love with Harriet, reflect her disdain for those with a lower social standing than herself.Austen however, challenges the prerequisites of her society through her character Mr. Knightley, who shows generosity towards the lower class despite his own high social standing, even describing Robert Martins as â€Å"respectable, intelligent, gentle†. His use of positive adjectives accentuates Austen’s view that kindness and charity are more important that social superiority; an idea that many in her time did not share. Heckerling appropriates 19th century class snobbery and transforms them to better suite the growing multicultural and democratic setting in Clueless.Although class distinction no longer exists, Clueless depicts a social structure based on popularity, appearance and acquaintance in a high school environment. The importance of popularity mirrors the importance of class in Emma and is established through Cher’s use of dialogue in â€Å"The fact that you hang with Dionne and I, speaks very highly of you. † Close up shots of Cher and Dionne’s disgusted expressions as they scorn Trevor (the Clueless equivalent of Robert Martin) again echoes the class snobbery and disdain shown by the genteel in Emma towards those of lesser standing.Heckerling does however; emphasize the fluidity and flexibility of 21st century class structure, which is the principal difference between the contexts of Emma and Clueless. Tai’s gradual change of costume is in direct correlation to her gradual rise in popularity from â€Å"adorably clueless† outcast to the centre of attention; highlighting the superficial and shallow ‘social’ structure present in the 21st century. Amy Heckerling has taken into consideration the changed context of Clueless and appropriately caused the adapted the Regency England views on social structure to better r eflect the class values of the high school setting.

Analysis of Ethical Dilemma Essay

Natural calamities are unpredictable phenomena’s where the damage may be countless and immeasurable examples of natural calamities are earthquakes, floods and famine. In situations like this relief operations are challenging even though many organizations and nations extend their resources to overcome the disaster. We often face issues and concerns in a massive disaster which may lead to ethical-dilemma and criticism. When we analyze disaster situation ethical concerns arises. Here I would like to present the ethical dilemma involved in the rescue operations in Haiti disaster and analysis of the issues. Event and ethical implications One of the biggest and most recent disaster world encountered is the Haiti disaster in January, 12, 2010. It was a massive earthquake with 7.0 magnitudes, wiped out thousands of lives and affected millions of people (Haiti earthquake, 2010). The earthquake ploughed the main city Port-au-prince just into rubbles. Many people were trapped in the collapsed buildings. Many important buildings were damaged including parliament, schools, hospitals and main jail (Haiti earthquake, 2010). It resulted in lack of food, water, shelter and medical services. Many wounded were waiting for immediate medical help and many died without prompt treatment. In natural disasters people from all over the world offer humanitarian aid in the form of donations, medical care team services, food and other necessary supplies. The U.S Government and many other nations extended their hands for rescue operations. The Israel Government sent a military task force consisting of 230 people within 48 hours (NEJM, 2010). Their ultimate goal was to provide lifesaving treatments to the injured to the level it was possible. Other troops and volunteer workers on the scene also tried their best to deliver the best possible care to the causalities. Ethical concerns and ethical dilemma The troop’s mission was to provide help to as many people as possible. But the limited resources fell far short than the demands. This put the medical team in various ethical issues. Haiti is one of the poorest countries of the world with minimal facilities. The disaster left millions of people homeless and in urgent medical needs. The Israeli Field Hospital extended their hospital capacity to 72 from 60 and added one more operating room to accommodate increased causalities (NEJM, 2010). In a normal triage system we are setting priorities among patients depending on their clinical conditions and assuming that we will be able to provide care to all. In Haiti disaster it was impossible for them to provide care to all who needed. Here the health care workers as well as the victims faced ethical dilemma. The medical team was forced to recognize the fact that the clients who need most urgent care may consume the majority of their resources. So they had to set up priorities according to the resources available, the severity of the problem and can they be saved. Another ethical dilemma the medical team had to encounter was those come with severe injuries needed prolong rehabilitation and that may run out all of their supplies. So they planned to accommodate patients who can be stabilized in 24 hours.† The practical implication of this prioritization resulted in people those who have small chance to survive were not likely to be treated in the ICU† (NEJM, 2010). In addition to that discharging the patients were also challenging since no homes left and children without parents, there was no place for them to go. Personal ethical values and position using ethical principles In a massive disaster plan in an ethical aspect I believe the theory of Act- utilitarianism works best to that situation. Act-utilitarianism states, the actions people choose will produce over all good in any given circumstances. This theory also allows different actions in certain circumstances. Their decision on triaging the patients based on the resources and the possible outcome of the intervention in a humanitarian aspect. The ethical principles of beneficence and justice applied in this scenario. According to the principle of beneficence the health care workers were trying their best to provide care to as many as people possible. The ethical principle of distributive justice emphasis on fair and equitable distribution of goods and services (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008), but in certain situations it is impossible for all people to have everything that they might need. In such cases they can formulate and enforce policies for fair and equitable distribution of the available resources. Possible alternatives for resolving the problem I.Ask for more medical supplies from organizations like, World Health Organization, Red Cross et. II.Make arrangements to send patients who need more complex care to the nearest available medical centers or hospitals. III.Call for more volunteers to help there by reducing the cost and request for funds from charitable organizations. IV.Since geographically U. S. is the closest country, request for airlifting the patient to the nearby states hospitals for advanced care. V.Even though insurance can be a hindrance to accept the patients, U. S. Government can offer tax exemptions and grants for the accepting hospitals. VI.Airlift the patients to the accepting countries for advanced care. Examine and categorize the alternatives When we categorize the alternatives from 1-6, the first five options are possible alternatives. The 6th option can be possible, but it will be more expensive, time consuming and unsafe for unstable patients. Since many organizations started their rescue operations, if the military task force can receive more supplies, they will be able to continue with their life saving measures. Possible consequences for the acceptable alternatives When other hospitals can accommodate more patients, it may reduce the burden on a single group. Since they already have disaster plan set up, more supplies from other organizations will help them to continue their task without time delay. With tax exemption and grants, more hospitals may take initiative to involve in the health care delivery and if the patient can be airlifted on time many lives can be saved. Prioritize acceptable alternatives I.Provision of more supplies to the functioning units. II.Make arrangements to transfer patients with complex issues to the nearest hospitals. III.Call for more volunteers for additional help IV.Airlift patients to the nearby countries at the earliest possible V.Request for more funds, grants, donations from the federal governments and common wealth countries. Plan of actions The plan of care is to provide care to as many people as possible with added resources. Transferring of patients to the nearest available hospital for complex care and management. Through financial aid rebuild the health care infrastructure to provide continued care to the Haiti people. Evaluation Natural disasters are unpredictable and every effort needs to be taken to overcome such situation through voluntary support. In this situation the ethics committee from a group of physician had to prioritize the cases according to the availability of resources and the chances of survival. In a humanitarian aspect it is necessary to provide fair and equitable distribution of health care as much as possible for a healthy recovery. We often see the best of humanity in moments of extreme calamity. In every disaster situations people who directly involved often faces some sort of ethical issues and dilemma. The best possible way to overcome such situations through mutual effort, ethical decision making and appropriate action plans. Fair and equitable distribution of health care is the best approach to every mankind.

Ethical Issue on the Internet

Ethical issues relating to the use of the Internet and the implications for managers and business practice. by Mihai C. Orzan Abstract When we address the topic of ethical issues on the Internet we are generally referring at two different matters: privacy and intellectual property. Each has been examined extensively in the last five years, since the Internet explosive intrusion in everyday life activities, each has an important number of sub fields that require special attention from managers and other business professionals.The purpose of this paper is to to make a short presentation of most relevant developments pertaining Internet ethical issues in direct connection with the business world. The Privacy debate is centered on the arguments regarding citizens’ right to privacy granted or implied by laws on one hand and companies approach on â€Å"customer data, considered an asset to sell for profits† (Choi, 2000, p. 317) on the other hand. Privacy on the Internet is ex ploding as a topic of public concern these days. A recent Internet survey showed that 4 out of 5 users have major concerns regarding various privacy threats when they’re online.Yet only 6% of them have actually experienced privacy abuses. Those who are not yet on the Net cite privacy as the main reason they have chosen not to become Internet users. If electronic commerce is going to thrive, this fear is going to have to be dealt with by laws and by industry practices and this paper attempts to give a thorough description of the major computer ethics trends of the moment. The other major source of concern for business world as well as the majority of Internet users is copyright control.Serious question come from both approaches on this matter: what information available on the Internet can I freely use and how can one protect the hardly earned information that he posts on a website. In fact, â€Å"The Internet has been characterized as the largest threat to copyright since it s inception. It is awash in information, much of it with varying degrees of copyright protection. † (O’Mahoney, 2001). Copyrighted issue constitutes an important part of this paper and it details most of the present concerns of intellectual property. 1 Privacy Everyone has the right to know what information is collected and how it will be used and to accept or decline the collection or dissemination of this information– particularly financial and medical information. † President George W. Bush. Privacy has become a major concern on the Internet. According to (Ferrell, Leclair & Fraedrich, 1997), â€Å"the extraordinary growth of the Internet has created a number of privacy issues that society has never encountered before and therefore has been slow to address. † Opinions have been expressed and actions were taken in order to resolve these matters in one way or another.In an interview earlier this year United States President George W. Bush (Miller, 2 001) expressed numerous and informed concerns regarding privacy issues, including access, security, and use of personal information. He promised to ensure actions that will meet consumer demands for privacy protection and advocated â€Å"opt- in† policies for mailing lists. He concluded the interview by stating: â€Å"I share many people's concerns that, with the advent of the Internet, personal privacy is increasingly at risk, and I am committed to protecting personal privacy for everyone. Privacy issues on the Internet relate to two major concerns. The first concern is users’ ability to control the rate, type, and sequence of the information they view. Spam, or unsolicited commercial e- mail, is a control concern because it violates privacy and steals resources. A second concern relates to the ability of users to address and understand how organizations collect and use personal information on the Internet. Many 2 Web sites require visitors to identify themselves and provide information about their wants and needs.Some Web sites track visitors’ â€Å"footsteps† through the site by storing a cookie, or identifying string of text, on their computers. The use of cookies can be an ethical issue, especially because many users have no idea that this transfer of information is even occurring. Internet privacy is an important ethical issue because most organizations engaging in e- commerce have not yet developed policies and codes of conduct to encourage responsible behavior. Spamming â€Å"Junk e- mail and spam are both terms for advertising and e- mail sent to you which you did not ask for and which you do not want†, (Elbel, 2001).However, spam is a more generic term that includes broadcast posting to newsgroups as well as individuals. And spamming is very costly for the end users: recent surveys showed that various forms of spam consume up to 15% of Internet bandwidth. According to a recent European Union study â€Å"junk email costs all of us some 9. 4 billion (US) dollars per year, and many major ISPs say that spam adds 20% of the cost of their service†, (Elbel, 2001). As you can see spamming is a very profitable endeavor and have grown over the years to assume a number of different forms.Thus, we can distinguish: v Unsolicited e- mail is any email message received where the recipient did not specifically ask to receive it. It might not be always an abuse. v Bulk e- mail is any group of messages sent via e- mail, with substantially identical content, to a large number of addresses at once. Many ISPs specify a threshold for bulk e- mail to be 25 or more recipients within a 24- hour period. Once again, bulk e- mail itself is not necessarily abuse of the e- mail system. 3 Unsolicited Commercial E- mail (UCE) is a form of e- mail containing commercial information that has been sent to a recipient who did not ask to receive it. Several ISPs specify that sending even one UCE is a violation of privacy. v Make Money Fast (MMF) are e- mail messages that â€Å"guarantee immediate, incredible profits! â€Å", including such schemes as chain letters. v Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) are e- mail messages that â€Å"guarantee incredible profits! â€Å", right after you send them an â€Å"initial investment† and recruit others. v Mailbomb is probably the most harmful type of spamming.It takes the form of email packages delivered repeatedly to the same address until the mailbox is overloaded, or perhaps even the system that hosts the mailbox crashes. Mailbombs generally take one of two forms. A mailbox might be targeted to receive hundreds or thousands of messages, making it difficult or impossible for the victim to use their own mailbox, possibly subjects them to additional charges for storage space, and might cause them to miss messages entirely due to overflow. This is seen as a denial- of- service attack, perhaps also harassment.Another form of mailbombing is to forge subscripti on requests to many mailing lists, all for one recipient. The result is a huge barrage of email arriving in the victim's e- mail box, all of it unwanted, but â€Å"legitimate†. There are several ways to escape spamming, but none will guarantee 100 percent reliability. First, a complaint to the ISPs that originated and forwarded the spam is required. It is also recommended to switch to an ISP that uses one or all of the anti- spam databases available (RBL, RSS, and DUL). About 40% of the Internet is using these services, with good success.Also, it is important that you never, under any circumstance, reply to junk e- mail, even if it is to send a â€Å"remove† request. Most spammers ignore such 4 responses, or worse, add you to their list of validated e- mail addresses that they sell. Also, getting removed doesn't keep you from being added the next time they mine for addresses, nor will it get you off other copies of the list that have been sold or traded to others. Fina lly, we should note that there are voices that argue that spamming is a legitimate form of expression and restricting it would be a First Amendment infringement.Even more, has been suggested that â€Å"junk e- mail (also called â€Å"bulk† e- mail and â€Å"spam†) should be legally protected†, (D’Ambrosio, 2000). Tracking a user on the Internet Data about individuals is collected in a wide variety of ways, including information provided on application forms, credit/debit card transactions, and cookies. Many users expect that such activities are anonymous, but unfortunately they are far from being so. It is possible to record many online activities, including which newsgroups or files a subscriber has accessed and which web sites a subscriber has visited.This information can be collected both by a subscriber's own service provider (available in the request headers of browsers) and by agents of remote sites which a subscriber visits. But the most popular fo rm of collecting data about web surfers is the cookie. These are short pieces of data used by web servers to help identify web users. The cookie is stored on the user's computer, but contrary to popular belief it is not an executable program and cannot do anything harmful to the machine. Cookies are used by Internet shopping sites to keep track of users and their shopping carts.When someone first visits an Internet shopping site, they are sent a cookie containing the name (ID number) of a shopping cart and other useful tags. Another use of cookies is to create customized home 5 pages. A cookie is sent to the user’s browser for each of the items they expect to see on their custom home page. One of the less admirable uses of cookies, and the one that is causing all the controversy, is its use as a device for tracking the browsing and buying habits of individual web users.On a single web site or a group of web sites within a single subdomain, cookies can be used to see what web pages you visit and how often you visit them. However, such concerns can be easily addressed by setting the browser to not accept cookies or use one of the new cookie blocking packages that offer selective cookie access. Note that blocking all cookies prevents some online services from working. Also, preventing the browser from accepting cookies does not confer anonymity; it just makes it more difficult to be tracked on the Web. Related to cookies, but more damaging is the activity known as â€Å"prying†.Many of the commercial online services will automatically download graphics and program upgrades to the user's home computer. News reports have documented the fact that certain online services have admitted to both accidental and intentional prying into the memory of home computers signing on to the service. In some cases, personal files have been copied and collected by the online services. Use of Personal Information You can find out simple directory information about peopl e on a variety of web sites, like Switchboard, Whowhere, Four11, Bigfoot.These contain information retrieved from telephone books. And most of these sites allow someone who doesn’t want to be listed in their databases to have his/her information removed. But beyond the free services there are the fee- based services where one can find out a great deal about 6 individuals on the Internet. There are services like as KnowX, Informus, Infotel, CDB, Infotek, Information America, and Lexis- Nexis that offer subscription based services and give access either through the Internet or through their own telephone networks.The information they provide is primarily from public records like records of court cases, both civil and criminal (not the full text, not yet anyway, but an index of cases), bankruptcies, judgments and liens, property records, such as county tax assessors files, professional license information, if regulated by the state, Dept of Motor Vehicle data from many states, v oter registration data from many states, stock investments, if you own 15% or more of a company’s stock, and many more other sources.Data warehouses built with this kind of sensitive personal information (including â€Å"browsing patterns,† also known as â€Å"transaction- generated information†) are the lifeblood of many enterprises that need to locate their customers with direct mailing (or e- mailing) campaigns. It may also create the potential for â€Å"junk e- mail† and other marketing uses. Additionally, this information may be embarrassing for users who have accessed sensitive or controversial materials online. In theory, individuals (data subjects) are routinely asked if they would permit their information to be used by the information collector.Application forms usually include a clause stating that personal information provided may be used for marketing and other purposes. This is the principle of informed consent, meaning that if the individual does not so request that his/her data not to be used for such purposes, it is assumed that he/she had given permission. The alternative principle, of affirmative consent, where an individual is required to give permission for each and every occasion on which a data user wishes to make use of an individual’s data, becomes extremely expensive and complex and is seldom practiced.The Federal Trade Commission is urging commercial web site operators to make public their information collection practices in privacy policies posted on web sites. 7 Many web sites now post information about their information- collection practices. You can look for a privacy â€Å"seal of approval,† such as TRUSTe, Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, WebTrust, and others on the first page of the web site. Those that participate in such programs agree to post their privacy policies and submit to audits of their privacy practices in order to display the logo.There are several technologies that help online users protect their privacy. v Encryption is a method of scrambling an e- mail message or file so that it is unintelligible to anyone who does not know how to unscramble it. Thus, private information may be encrypted, and then transmitted, stored or distributed without fear that outsiders will have access to its content. Various strong encryption programs, such as PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and RSA (RSA Data Security) are available online.Because encryption prevents unauthorized access, law enforcement agencies have expressed concerns over the use of this technology, and Congress has considered legislation to create a â€Å"back door† to allow law enforcement officials to decipher encrypted messages. Federal law limits exporting certain types of encryption code or descriptive information to other countries and file them under the same ammo type as nuclear weapons. v Anonymous remailers. Because it is relatively easy to determine the name and email address of anyone who posts messages or sends e- mail, the practice of using anonymous remailing programs has become more common.These programs receive e- mail, strip off all identifying information, and then forward the mail to the appropriate address. v Memory protection software. Software security programs are now available which help prevent unauthorized access to files on the home computer. For 8 example, one program encrypts every directory with a different password so that to access any directory you must log in first. Then, if an online service provider tries to read any private files, it would be denied access. These programs may include an â€Å"audit trail† that records all activity on the computer's drives.Censorship and Blocking Software â€Å"With its recent explosive growth, the Internet now faces a problem inherent in all media that serve diverse audiences: not all materials are appropriate for every audience† (Resni ck & Miller, 1996). Any rules or laws about distribution, however, will be too restrictive from some perspectives, yet not restrictive enough from others. Apparently it might be easier to meet diverse needs by controlling reception rather than distribution. In the TV industry, this realization has led to the V- chip, a system for blocking reception based on labels embedded in the broadcast stream.On the Internet, the solution might be considered even better, with richer labels that reflect diverse viewpoints, and more flexible selection criteria. Not everyone needs to block reception of the same materials. Parents may not wish to expose their children to sexual or violent images, businesses may want to prevent their employees from visiting recreational sites during hours of peak network usage, and governments may want to restrict reception of materials that are legal in other countries but not in their own.The blocking solution with the largest acceptance at this moment is PICS (Pla tform for Internet Content Selection). Its labels are supposed to be able to describe any aspect of a document or a Web site. As was natural to be expected, PICS labels started out as an attempt to block web pages that were not compliant with indecency 9 laws. As one of its initiators said, â€Å"the original impetus for PICS was to allow parents and teachers to screen materials they felt were inappropriate for children using the Net†, (Weinberger, 1997).At this moment, Microsoft, Netscape, SurfWatch, CyberPatrol, and other software vendors have PICS- compatible products, while AOL, AT WorldNet, CompuServe, and Prodigy provide free blocking software that is PICS- compliant. Intellectual Property Intellectual Property concerns the protection of â€Å"all products created or designed by human intellect – book, songs, poems, trademarks, blueprints†¦and software† (Davidson, 2000, p. 9). The copying of software programs, although nominally protected by copyright laws, is certainly widespread. Much of the argument about IP lies in the deontological dichotomy between rights and duties†, (Davidson, 2000, p. 12). Software producers claim that they have the right to protect the fruit of their endeavors, and have the right to be compensated for the resources spend in the development process, while consumers claim that they have the right to use a product for which they have paid and expect that the product will be free of defects. This should lead to competitively priced products with superior quality, providing value for money. 10 Copyright, Patents, and TrademarksAccording to prof. Johnson (2000) â€Å"as computing resources become more and more prevalent, computer software becomes easier and easier to access, and as such, easier and easier to copy†, (p. 124). Protection for one’s work, from a legal point of view, requires copyright, patents, and trademarks for sensible and strategic information. The best approach is to hav e a combination of trade secret protection, copyright laws, and trademark laws for the product in question because these are cheap, effective, and fast ways of protecting a software product from being pirated.Copyright Issues Copyrighted works on the net include news stories, software, novels, screenplays, graphics, pictures, Usenet messages and even e- mail. â€Å"In fact, the frightening reality is that almost everything on the Net is protected by copyright law† (O’Mahoney, 2001). Software and manuals, as novels and other literary works, are protected under copyright laws. In simple terms, this guarantees the copyright owner, the author in most cases, the exclusive rights to the reproduction and distribution of his intellectual property.Thus, copyright law guarantees the owner of the intellectual property the same types of rights that patent law guarantees the owner of an invention or other piece of seemingly more tangible physical property. Computer software and dat a are intellectual property, and as such are covered by copyright law. The problems start when people cannot, or will not, make the mental transition from physical to intellectual property. While most people would not steal books from a bookstore or a software package from a dealer's showroom, 11 ven if they knew they would not be caught, many of the same people would not hesitate copying a computer program from a demo or from their friends and colleagues. The only free software is the one places in the public domain, also known as freeware. For the rest of the software products the user must abide by the license agreements which usually come with a program and places restrictions upon reproducing and distributing the software, including such things as loaning the software to a friend or colleague and making duplicates for classroom or network use. Some licenses even go so far as to restrict use to a specific computer.In most cases, however, the user does have the right to make a ba ckup copy of the software for archival purposes. In theory, any use of a software package which falls outside of the limits of the license agreement renders the user, and quite often the user's company or institution, liable to prosecution. A computer program is defined in the copyright law as â€Å"a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in a computer in order to bring about a certain result. † Copyright protection begins at the time a work is created in fixed form; no act other than creation of the work is required to obtain a copyright for the work.According to (Yoches and Levine, 1989) â€Å"the scope of copyright protection for a computer program's expression may extend beyond its literal code to the structure, sequence and organization of the program. † Another debated and important aspect of software copyright involves the use of databases, data warehouses, and other forms of data collections. Under traditional concepts of literary copyright, the data contained in a compilation, and the selection of the data, may sometimes not be protected from copying. Only the coordination and arrangement of the database may be protected, and even then there must be some originality to the collection and arrangement for it to be protected†, (Losey, 1995). 12 There are essentially three ways to legally protect computer databases: copyright, trade secret and contract. Raw facts in a database may not be protected by copyright, regardless of the time or expense that went into locating them. However, in many databases the data itself, or the particular expressions of the facts, may have been created by the author. In such cases the data has originality and can be protected.Even if the contents are raw facts, not new materials created by the author, the compilation aspects of the database (selection, coordination and arrangement) may still receive copyright protection. A trade secret is â€Å"knowledge which a person or com pany acquires through its own efforts and which has some value to it† (Losey, 1995). Typically, this knowledge is kept secret from competitors because it is felt that this information provides some type of competitive advantage. Since a computer database is a compilation that derives economic value, it is a type of intellectual property that has frequently received trade secrecy protection.Finally, the owner of a database can require that any purchaser enter into a written contract as a condition of purchase of the database. That written agreement could expressly provide that the purchaser will not disclose the content to anyone but authorized users, nor make any copies or unauthorized use of the information. Typically this takes the form of a License Agreement between the owner/licensor of the database and the user/licensee of the database. Protect your site against theft It might be useful to know that a link is a URL, a fact not unlike a street address, and is therefore not copyrightable.However, a URL list may be copyrightable under a 13 compilation copyright if it contains some originality. The Internet was created on the basis of being able to attach hypertext links to any other location on the Web. Consequently, by putting yourself on the Internet, â€Å"you have given implied permission to others to link to your Web page, and everyone else on the Web is deemed to have given you implied permission to link to their Web pages† (O’Mahoney, 2001). The two primary methods of protection are technical countermeasures and legal protection.Technical countermeasures include strategies such as digital watermarking and spiders that search the Internet for copies of your pages or graphics. These strategies tend to be difficult, expensive, and user- unfriendly. The primary vehicle for legal protection is copyright. This is by far the easiest and most popular form of protection in use today. In implementing a copyright strategy, there are three ite ms that you should consider: v Ownership: before trying to copyright your website, a clear understanding of what exactly it is considered to be copyrighted is required.There are many elements to a website, including text, graphics, scripts, data, and code. If everything was created from scratch for the website, ownership is not an issue. However, if someone else created text, or some clip art was downloaded from another website, or scanned photographs from archives were used, or a web design firm was hired to load all informational content into an attractive package, then ownership of the respective elements is shared with the original creators, unless otherwise stated in contracts and licenses. Copyright notice: it is generally a good idea to put a copyright notice on your website. It used to be that in order to be afforded any copyright protection whatsoever, one needed to put the world on notice by attaching a copyright notice to the work. While this is no longer the case, it is still customary to attach a 14 copyright notice on copyrighted works in order to be eligible for certain types of damages. The copyright notice consists of at least elements that include the copyright symbol and/or the term â€Å"Copyright†, the year of copyright, and the name of the copyright holder. Registration: register your copyright with the Copyright Office. Although the Copyright Act gives protection just for creating your work and reducing it to a tangible form, that protection proved somewhat illusory in some cases when registration was overlooked. Patents and Trademarks â€Å"A recognized brand name or trademark represents the goodwill that has been built into the product or service†, (Eldenbrock & Borwankar, 1996). Consumers tend to associate the recognized brand name or trademark with certain characteristics that are specific to that name or mark.Therefore, companies often spend millions of dollars annually for safeguarding the investment in the related in tellectual property rights. Trademark laws protect the name of the software, not the software itself. Some examples include: â€Å"Lotus 1- 2- 3†, â€Å"Apple â€Å", â€Å"D- BASE†, â€Å"WordPerfect†, and many others. Copyright protection protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. A patent protects the idea itself. There are two major drawbacks to patents. They take a lot of money and a lot of time (usually two or more years).Computer games are rarely patent protected because the shelf life for a game is usually no more than six months. 15 Fair Use â€Å"When the fair use doctrine applies to a specific use of a work, the person making fair use of the work does not need to seek permission from the copyright owner or to compensate the copyright owner for the use of the work†, (Lehman, 1998). The fair use is a form of limitation of the exclusive rights of copyright owners for purposes such as criticism, comments, news reporting, teaching (i ncluding the possibility to make multiple copies of a copyrighted work for classroom use), scholarships, or research.In order to determine whether the use made of a work in any particular case is not a copyright infringement, Smith’s (2001) Copyright Implementation Manual offers the following guidelines: 1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2. the nature of the copyrighted work; 3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and 4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. Those creators and authors who wish to dedicate their works to the public domain may, of course, do so notwithstanding the availability of protection under the Copyrigh t Act. 16 Libel and Defamation â€Å"We know that as the Internet grows, there will be more and more lawsuits involving libel and defamation. † said attorney David H. Donaldson, editor of Legal Bytes, â€Å"The only question is if the number of cases will grow steadily or if there will be an explosion of lawsuits all at once. The Internet has been used to harass, slander, threat and these online activities led to arrests, successful sues (because have used netnews to slander and for delivering inappropriate screen saver images) and other forms of legal punishments. The most frequent form of libel on the Internet is flaming, defined as â€Å"the practice of sending extremely critical, derogatory, and often vulgar e- mail messages, or newsgroup postings to other users on the Internet or online services† (O’Brien, 2002, pp. 326).Famous cases of racism or defamation have turned the attention at the gaps in legislation regarding Internet crime. Sexual explicit web p ages are responsible for another stir in social awareness regarding Internet- related legal void. Sometimes even a â€Å"link to another's page could be defamatory and may subject someone to legal liability†, (INET Legal Networks, 2001), if it links to a page where offensive or illegal content is present and if you do not give strong warning to the web surfer about the consequences of his/her â€Å"click†.There are a number of features unique to the Internet that distinguish it from any other medium and have â€Å"led to the current re- examination of existing libel laws to allow for their possible evolution and ultimately their application in the cyberspace†, (Potts & Harris, 1996). These features include its global nature (more than 125 countries are linked via Internet), which raised questions about jurisdiction, repeated publication every time a 17 page is updated/viewed, and the possibility to enforce judgments.Another Internet specific aspect is its highly interactive nature, which decreases the effectiveness of later corrections, but empowers the ability to reply, which might be considered more gratifying, immediate and potent than launching a libel action. Accessibility is another feature of the Internet, which distinguishes it from traditional print or broadcast media. The relatively low cost of connecting to the Internet and even of establishing one's own website means that the opportunity for defamation has increased exponentially. Now, on the Internet everyone can be a publisher and can be sued as a publisher.Internet anonymity means that users do not have to reveal their true identity in order to send email or post messages on bulletin boards. This feature, coupled with the ability to access the Internet in the privacy and seclusion of one's own home or office and the interactive, responsive nature of communications on the Internet, has resulted in users being far less inhibited about the contents of their messages than in any other form of media. Computer Crime One of the biggest threats for the online community comes from various ways in which a computers network in general and the Internet in special might be used to support computer crime.The list of such actions is vast as â€Å"criminals are doing everything from stealing intellectual property and committing fraud to unleashing viruses and committing acts of cyber terrorism† (Sager, Hamm, Gross, Carey & Hoff, 2000) and a few of the most dangerous and common ones have already entered the general IT folklore. The Association of Information Technology Professionals defined computer crime as including â€Å"unauthorized use, access, modification, and destruction of hardware, software, data, or network resources; unauthorized release of information; unauthorized copying of 18 oftware; denying an end user access to his or her own hardware, software, data, or network resources; using or conspiring to use computer or network resources to illegally obtain information or tangible property. † Software piracy Software piracy is the illegal copying of computer software. It is also considered the computer industry's worst problem and, according to the specialists, has become a household crime. â€Å"People who wouldn't think of sneaking merchandise out of a store or burgling a house regularly obtain copies of computer programs that they haven't paid for†, (Hard- Davis, 2001).Software piracy is fought by legal means (licenses, copyright, trademarks and patents, and lawsuits, when all else fails). According to Zwass (1997), â€Å"deterrent controls (legal sanctions) and preventive controls (increasing the cost of piracy by technological means) can be used to combat software piracy. † Information technology is a key driver in the globalization and growth of the world economy. In a recent study of worldwide software market (International Data Corporation, 1999) the total worldwide package software market has been st imated at $135 billion. Worldwide expenditures on software are expected to increase to about $220 billion by the year 2002. The U. S. software industry is reaping the benefits of this hyper growth, having captured 70% of global software sales. According to (Software Publishers Association, 1998), the worldwide revenues of business- based PC applications was $17. 2 billion, but global revenue losses due to piracy in the business application software market were calculated at $11. 4 billion.This is very similar to the report of (International Research and Planning, 2001)’s Business Software Alliance (BSA), a watchdog group representing the world’s leading software manufacturers, which announced the results of 19 its sixth annual benchmark survey on global software piracy. The independent study highlights the serious impact of copyright infringement with piracy losses nearing $11. 8 billion worldwide in 2000. Figure 1 shows an interesting correlation between the national piracy rates compiled by the SPA with the per capita GNP for 65 countries in the year 1997.Higher software piracy rates are heavily skewed towards countries with low per capita GNP. The effect of GNP is much more pronounced for the countries with GNPs less than $6,000, as shown in Figure 2. Each $1,000 increase in per capita GNP is associated with a nearly 6% decrease in the piracy rate. These results indicate a significant income effect on the global piracy rates, particularly in the poorer segments of the world. The different ways of illegally copying computer software can be broken down into five basic ways of pirating. Counterfeiting is duplicating and selling unauthorized copies of software in such a manner as to try to pass off the illegal copy as if it were a legitimate copy produced by or authorized by the publisher. v Softlifting is the purchasing of a single licensed copy of software and loading it on several machines, contrary to the terms of the license agreement. This i ncludes sharing software with friends and co- workers. v Hard- disk loading is selling computers pre- loaded with illegal software. v Bulletin-board piracy is putting software on a bulletin- board service for nyone to copy or copying software from a bullet in- board service that is not shareware or freeware. v Software rental is the renting of software for temporary use. An interesting study regarding software piracy in academic environment was conducted at the Faculty of Business at the City University of Hong Kong (Moores & 20 Dhillon, 2000). A total of 243 usable responses were received, of which 122 were female and 121 were male. As shown in Figure 3, 81% of the respondents report they buy pirated software on a regular basis, with a significant minority (29%) buying every month, and 3% even reporting they buy several times a week.The most popular pirated software bought was spreadsheets, followed by programming languages, databases, word processors, and statistical packages. Oth er software mentioned included e- mail, graphics, and game software. Only 7% claim to have never bought pirated software. Illegal Information The Internet was designed as an inherently insecure communications vehicle. This allowed an impressive number of security gaps that led to numerous hacking techniques. Probably the most famous one at this moment is the denial of service attack, that led to the shutdown of many famous Internet sites, including Yahoo! , eBay, Amazon, and CNN.Other hacking tactics include spoofing (faking an web page to trick users into giving away critical information), Trojan horses (programs that are planted on user’s machine without his knowledge), logic bombs (instructions in computer programs that triggers malicious acts), and password crackers. According to Givens (2001), â€Å"Identity thieves are able to shop online anonymously using the identities of others. Web- based information brokers sell sensitive personal data, including Social Security n umbers, relatively cheaply. † In December 1999 300,000 credit card numbers were stolen from the online music retailer CD Universe database.That’s way it is considered a federal crime to possess 15 ore more access devices like cellular activation codes, account passwords, and credit card numbers. 21 Beside the theft that these kinds of devices enable, such actions lead to loss of trust from customers to such services that have been the target of hacking. It is also illegal in many states to have pornographic related material on your machine, and in some cases mere possession of child pornography is punishable by many years in jail. As mentioned before, possession or export of certain types of cryptographic techniques is a very serious federal crime.AMA Code of Ethics of Marketing on the Internet â€Å"All professionals find a code of ethics is useful to guide them through the sometimes thorny issues that confront them† (Klampert, 1998). Codes of ethics are an orga nized, written set of rules that describe expected behaviors. There are many such codes in Information Systems (ACM, IEEE, British Computer Society), but none of them has overall recognition. Most institutions that provide Internet access have formulated policies and procedures regarding the fair use of their facilities.The most frequent policies are grouped under the following categories: a Code for Ethical Computer Use (usually a written policy an institution has developed to describe ethical use of their computer system), an E- mail Privacy Policy, and an Internet Access Policy. One of the most representative such codes for the Internet community is the one that has been imposed by the American Marketing Association for its members. Below there are a few of the most interesting requirements, as they can be found in the latest edition of (AMA, 2001) Code of Ethics for Marketing on the Internet: 2 Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations with no use of Internet marketing th at would be illegal, if conducted by mail, telephone, fax or other media. Organizational commitment to ethical Internet practices communicated to employees, customers and relevant stakeholders. Information collected from customers should be confidential and used only for expressed purposes. All data, especially confidential customer data, should be safeguarded against unauthorized access. The expressed wishes of others should be respected with regard to the receipt of unsolicited e-mail messages.Information obtained from the Internet sources should be properly authorized and documented. Marketers should treat access to accounts, passwords, and other information as confidential, and only examine or disclose content when authorized by a responsible party. The integrity of others' information systems should be respected with regard to placement of information, advertising or messages. Conclusions This R paper gives a general overview of the most debated ethical issues related to the us e of Internet and their implications for managers and business practice.However, there are several other less critical aspects that should be considered by a very thorough revision and some very interesting papers on these subjects are listed in Appendix C. These aspects include unauthorized use of computer resources at work, accessing individuals’ private e- mail and telephone conversations and computer records by the companies they work for and other forms of computer monitoring, challenges to 23 work conditions and individuality that are brought about by computer systems, mistaken computer matching of individuals, and many, many more.To protect themselves and the people they work with, information professionals need to be as professional as they can be and, sometimes, must decline a project if clients insist that they do something they have moral objections about. Ethical considerations are inherent for any IT professional. Moral behavior, including acting with integrity, increasing personal competence, setting high standards of personal performance, accepting responsibility for your actions, avoiding computer crime, and increasing the security of computer systems developed are just a few of many such considerations.Overall, I believe that there is a critical need for heightened debate on professional ethics in Information Systems. 24 Appendix A Figure 1. Per capita GNP and piracy rates. Figure 2. Piracy rates and per capita GNP less than $6000 25 Figure 3. Frequency of pirated software. 26 Appendix B Cited Works 1. Choi, S. – Y. & Whinston, A. B. (2000). The Internet Economy: Technology and Practice. Austin, TX: SmartEcon Publishing. 2. D’Ambrosio, J. (2000,. January). Should â€Å"Junk† E- mail Be Legally Protected? [online]. Available: http://www. fmew. com/archive/junk/. October 26, 2001). 3. Davidson, Robert (2000, April). Professional Ethics in Information Systems: A Personal Perspective. Communications of the AIS, Vol. 3, Article 8. 4. Elbel, F. (2001, October 23). Junk E- mail and Spam. [online]. Available: http://www. ecofuture. org/jmemail. html. (October 26, 2001). 5. Elderbrock, David and Borwankar, Nitin. (1996). Building Successful Internet Businesses: The Essential Sourcebook for Creating Businesses on the Net. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide. 6. Ferrell, O. C. , Leclair, D. T. , & Fraedrich, J. P. (1997, October).Integrity Management : A Guide to Managing Legal and Ethical Issues in the Workplace. O’Collins Corp. 7. Givens, Beth. (2001, March). A Review of Current Privacy Issues. [online]. Available: http://www. privacyrights. org/ar/Privacy- IssuesList. htm. (October 26, 2001). 8. Hard- Davis, G. (2001, March). Internet Piracy Exposed. Alameda, CA:Sybex. 27 9. INET Legal Networks (2001). Defamation – Law for Internet [online]. Available: http://www. lawforinternet. com/subject_defamation. php3? searchkys=defamation =topdefamation. html. (October 26, 2001). 10.Internationa l Data Corporation (1999, February 10). Distribution of Worldwide Software Revenues Vary Dramatically [online]. Available: www. idcresearch. com/Press/default. htm. (October 26, 2001). 11. International Research and Planning. (2001, May). Sixth Annual BSA Global Software Piracy Study. [online]. Available: http://www. bsa. org/resources/200105- 21. 55. pdf. (October 26, 2001). 12. Johnson, Mark B. (2000, January). Software Piracy: Stopping It Before It Stops You. Proceedings of the sixteenth ACM SIGUCCS Conference on User Services. pp. 124- 131. 13. Klampert, Elizabeth (1998, July 13).Business Ethics for Information Professionals. Proceedings of the AALL 1998 Conference on Independent Law Librarian Program, Anaheim, CA. 14. Lehman, B. A. , (1998). The Conference on Fair Use: final report to the commissioner on the conclusion of the Conference on Fair Use. Washington, DC: Office of Public Affairs U. S. Patent and Trademark Office. 15. Losey, Ralph C. (1995). Practical and Legal Protec tion of Computer Databases [online]. Available: http://www. eff. org/Intellectual_property/database_protection. paper. (October 25, 2001). 16. Miller, M. J. (2001, February 6).Bush’s Privacy Plan. PC Magazine, Vol. 20, No. 3. 28 17. Moores, T & Dhillon, G. (2000, December). Software Piracy: A View from Hong Kong. Communication of the ACM, Vol. 28, No. 10, p. 88- 93. 18. O’Brien, J. A. (2002). Management Information Systems: Managing Information Technology in the E- Business Enterprise. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill. 19. O’Mahoney, B. (2001). Copyright Website [online]. Available: http://www. benedict. com/digital/digital. asp. (October 26, 2001). 20. Potts, David & Harris, S. (1996, May 16). Defamation on the Internet [online]. Available: http://owl. nglish. purdue. edu/handouts/research/r_apa. html. (October 26, 2001). 21. Resnick, P. & Miller, J. (1996). PICS: Internet Access Controls Without Censorship. Communications of the ACM, Vol. 39, No. 10, pp. 87- 93. 22. Sager, Ira, Hamm, Steve, Gross, Neil, Carey, John and Hoff, Robert. (2000, February 21). Business Week. 23. Smith, Steve. (2001, May). Copyright Implementation Manual [online]. Available: http://www. groton. k12. ct. us/mts/cimhp01. htm. (December 1, 2001). 24. Software Publishers Association (1998). SPA's Report on Global Software Piracy [online]. Available: www. pa. org/piracy/98report. htm. (October 26, 2001). 25. Weinberger, J. (1997, March). Rating the Net. Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal, Vol. 19. 26. Yoches, E. Robert & Levine, Arthur J. (1989, May). Basic principles of copyright protection for computer software. Communications of the ACM Vol. 32 No. 5. pp. 544. 27. Zwass, Vladimir. (1997, Spring). Editorial Introduction. Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 3- 6. 29 Appendix C Bibliography 1. American Marketing Association (2001). Full Text of the AMA Code of Ethics [online].Available: http://www. ama. org/about/ama/fulleth. a sp. (October 26, 2001). 2. Berman, J. & Weitzner, D. (1995). User Control: Renewing the Democratic Heart of the First Amendment in the Age of Interactive Media. Yale Law Journal, Vol. 104, pp. 1619. 3. BRINT Institute. (2001). Intelectual Property: Copyright, Trademarks and Patents. [online]. Available: http://www. brint. com/IntellP. htm. (October 26, 2001). 4. British Computer Society. (2000). British Computer Society Code of Practice [online]. Available: http://www. bcs. org. uk/aboutbcs/cop. htm. (November 30, 2001). 5. CETUS. (1995).Fair Use: A Statement of Principle [online]. Available: http://www. cetus. org/fair4. html. (December 1, 2001). 6. Cheng, H. K. , Sims, R. R. , and Teegen, H. (1999, Spring). To Purchase or to Private Software: An Empirical Study. Journal of Management Information Systems Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 49- 60. 7. Gopal, R. D. , & Sanders, G. L. (1997, Spring). Preventive and Deterrent Controls for Software Piracy. Journal of Management Information Systems Vol. 13 No. 4. pp. 29- 47. 30 8. Hinman, Lawrence M. (2001, September 15). Ethic Updates [online]. Available: http://ethics. acusd. edu/index. tml. (October 25, 2001). 9. Jamison, B. , Gold, J. & Jamison, W. (1997). Electronic Selling: 23 Steps to ESelling Profits. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. 10. Lending, D. & Slaughter, S. A. (2001, April). Research in progress: the effects of ethical climate on attitudes and behaviors toward software piracy. Proceedings of the 2001 ACM SIGCPR conference on Computer personnel research. p. 198- 200. 11. Limayem, Moez, Khalifa, Mohamed , Chin, Wynne W. (1999, January). Factors Motivating Software Piracy. Proceeding of the 20th international conference on Information Systems, p. 124- 13. 12.Scott, Thomas J. , Kallman, Ernest A. , Lelewer, Debra. (1994 November). Ethical Issues Involving the Internet. Proceedings of the conference on Ethics in the computer age. pp. 31- 32. 13. Thong, J. Y. L. , & Yap, C. – S. (1998, Summer). Testing and Ethical Decisi onMaking Theory: The Case of Softlifting. Journal of Management Information Systems Vo. 15, No. 1. pp. 213- 237. 14. U. S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability Information Bulletin. (1998, March 12). Internet Cookies. [online]. Available: http://ciac. llnl. gov/ciac/bulletins/i- 034. shtml. (October 26, 2001). 31